Aging is an intrinsic part of life. Many aspects of our mental lives change – some abilities tend to decline, others remain stable, and still others such as knowledge and vocabulary improve well into old age. Concurrently, our brain changes continuously from very early age in myriad ways, including changes to brain structure and brain activity patterns. Understanding the interplay between psychology and brain changes is a crucial step towards improving how we age, and supporting healthy aging in society.

At the MRC CBU, we study aging and dementia in a variety of ways. We study healthy aging in large studies of healthy aging such as Cam-CAN, where we hope to understand the relationship between lifestyle, cognition and brain changes. We also conduct research into challenging neurological conditions such as dementia and age-related memory loss. By better understand how our inner lives changes as we age, both in health and disease, we hope to allow individuals and society to better support healthy aging.